Speaker to refer phone call issue to Privileges Committee

21 November 2017 05:12 pm

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said today he would refer to the Privileges Committee the matters raised by parliamentarians regarding the telephone conversations of COPE members and have a discussion with the party leaders on this matter.

Meanwhile, joint opposition MP Bandula Gunawardana said the statement made by Minister Lakshman Kiriella on Monday that parliamentary privileges of the MPs were breached because their phone calls had been tapped was incorrect because the PCoI said such a thing had not happened.

The minister who responded to the allegation said what was wrong was to leak out the details to the media.

"We are not against the investigations but the details should be kept confidential. Leaking out information to the media is wrong," he said.

However, MP Udaya Gammanpila said people should know how the MPs act and asked why the government was trying to keep it a secret, when the Right to Information Act was now functional.

"The Presidential Commission of Inquiry is a public commission. It's proceedings should be transparent," he said. (Ajith Siriwardana)